Improvement in the manufacture of nitro-glycerine



iststjn.theJninedacid ,i D ,l A Toma amont. itjnay lancera:

Be i t. -known -that:I=`,a:GEoRGE oif'thecityfof in''fthe StateoffffPennisylvani-a, have `inventeda new andrlmprovedrMode ofllanufacturing Nitro-Glycerine; and l do herebyA declare thattheafolflowingfisl a-fullgan'd exact description 4thereof,referencebeiu'gf'hadto the accom panyv ing drawingsf'and to :the letters ofreference marked thereon.

It :is necessary;tofexplain that there are three principaldiicultiesattending the man u facture of this,'highly-explosive compound:-

i First, in addingglycgrine to a mixture of con--- centrated'sulphuricfandnitric acids, the chem -ical reaction is s o intense thatconsiderable heat is evolvedfandif@ the temperature is permitted toexceed about '600 Fahrenheit', then oxalicl and glyceric 4acids areformed,.with'a proportionate decient yield oif' nitroglycer ine. Second,thel use of .aanetallic'vessel for mixing, as iron, for instance,although s o'metimes resorted to, in lieu of glass'or porcelain,

because iron is a good conductor of heat, and v when surrounded withvice, enables Vtheoperator to keep downthe temperature; fet I have.found it to contaminate the product,4 as

"shown bythe yellow tin-ge ofthe nitrolglycer-v ine made in iron vesselsit also absorbs oxygen from the product, and to that'exten't decomposingit, renders it aless stable. compound, unfit for storage, and the miner1s unable to determine to what extent decomposition has taken place.Third, it being very difficult to f manufact-ure, on' a large scale,concentrated nitric acid, free or -nearly -free from hyponitrous acid,(deut'oxide of azotc,)v audit' manuv factored free from'V thisim,purity,;as a few miul utes exposure to sunlight -will give rise toitsformation, and since, it' hyponitrous acid'exs usediolman-nitro-glycerine, the resulting' product is inevitably contaminatedwith' it, and is next to impossible to remove from'it', and, ifallowed'4 to remain induces gradual decomposition, such nitr-glycerineevolving'bubbl'es of .protoxide of nitrogen, and' generating nitricacid, (free the former gas, if thc uitro-glycerine be store A n-tinvessels, bursting theories, andthe free nitric acidA eating into orcorrodingthemetah mi aparentar-1N r-HEQMANUFAciruRa;of NiTRo M.lliownu'nr, "tu-ville, county of Crawford,

-e canins.

1': v. l' y v* v I A v l I I- vv. 4v; V .4 I

Specifica on forming part pfjLetiera PatentjNo. 16,499, dated April 7,'1868. i. v v 5 1 .;.23' v- 1.1...

roding them,l invo'lves perfect command-pf "temperature, the use'o'fglass or-v glazed vessels of earthenware" or porcelain,` and espe-- themanufacture, and these result smy inven- .tion eifectually secures.

vgl'ycerine," into the'. mixture of acids an'dfglyc erine, 4whichservesa threefold purpose 1 First, ,it enables theI operatorto use'glass or glazed nal refrigeration aloneyibn as the cooled dry air isdriven into the mixture' which is giving' partly by its own coldtemperature and partly by expansion, and this useful effect takes acid(dentoxide lof azote). contained in the mixing the ingredients whilecombination is r taking place, and 'thereby saves manual labor,

used to eie'ct these results, lisfshownl in the to the letters annexedthereunto.'

' the atmospheric air, which; descendingv to vtho Bi B isan air-pp,whoscsuctiontpipeisa,

dd d; In thefiirst' of these reservoirs ajar,

renders such a nitro-glycerine exceedingly;v

K. is"placed.-nartly filled with sulphuric acid -dange'rous,eitherY,forstorage, transportation, I. orhfor miners nge. To manufacture, there-, 4fore, a -nitro-giycerine; chemically ;pure,1on"a f ,large scale, whichmay be kept tort-yearsunchanged, and stored in tin 4'cans withoutcorcially the conversion of any hyponitrous acid, (deut'oxdey of `azote,) either before or during Myfinventiong then, vconsists inintroducin g1 a current ofl compressed air artiicially dried andcooled,-during' the manufacture f nitro- Y v v fessels,A since vhe'isnotdependent ou' exterout hat',fit absorbs or neutralizes this heat,

placelin the very body of the mixed acids and glycerne which 'generatethe, nitro-glyccrine. Q Second, it 'partially converts anyjhyponitrousmixed acids into uitrieacid, and carries 0E theremain'derinto theatmosphere. Third,it acts mechanically, eectua'liy agitatingandv'.,llhemode :in which thefair -is' deprived ot"l moisture,- -.coo"lcd,andcompressed, and then' accompanying drawing, reference being had i Aisa suitable vessel, provided with shelves,

-on which-any inexpensive' absorbent, (such, plaster-oparis,1suipnuric-A acid inpans, &c.,) is placed, serving 'to; dry'. i

open pipe a, is thce drawn by the air-pump -v anc-educnompipe -ist. cgisa refrigeranugf, wormv surrounded with icewatenin-fthecoug' tainingworm-tub.'A jD Dl D are wroughtulf'onf reservoirs for air,with theirconnectingLpipes ci' cold water is kept running. ,4 entregnge. J J J arevessels' containing glycj. crine, each being commanded by a stop-cock,

2 France tc vr'central the `delivery of the glycerine inte v the inxedacids. MM M are stop-cocks contclimgthe deiivery of the' 'coldcom-pressed air-into the mixture of acids and glycerne.

. Tc the pipe attached to these. stop-cocks a fine glass tube(thermometerftnbing) is connected,

' which dips into the mix-ture. Motion being vgiven to the air-pumpB,'a.ir is drawn down .fthe drying-ressens, over the shelves containingthe-absorbing materiale, through the inletpipe a, inte the' cylinder'ofthe air-pump B, whence it is expelled, thrcn'gh the educticn pipe i),onto the surince'of the eniphnric acid '.311 ccntaincd in the jer Kinciceed in the reisen` ."volr D, (having irst been cceel in passing'through the worm G.) Thus cccled and dried, 'it' passes successivelyinte Elfi and i5, (cipres- 'ervcirs,') thence into the'ninin 'Being aiicwed to escape by'pertiycpeningthe stepcecile M M iii, isissnes, et theicwer extremity ot, the glass tubes ccnnected with seid'etcpcockie, intothe mixture of acids and figc-crine contained n1 the glass Ireceivers GG G, and

et the seme time glycerine is allowed tc drop freni the veeselscontaining the same, and letieredf J J, at a rate so as not to raise thetemperature above 60o Fahrenheit. The cold,

dry, compressed a'ir delivered into the mixture 4oi'ecids and.4glycerme, expands as it issues from the terminal of thethermometer-tubing, and cools the mixture, meanwhile. converting enyfreehypenitrcns acid er i deutoxide of abete into nitric acid, or carryingthe seme oli', andvtler'ehy absorbs or neutralizee' the heat generatedby chemical'actiommw thoroughly' agitating, the ingredients, end. thussaves manual labor in etirring. 'The resuitie a.p r0- duct ofnitro-glycerin in the acids, Which,by suitable Washing, incapahieofspontaneous' decmposition, ai: therefore may be safely lstored ortransported, or used for mining pur- Qa-,ficribed the nature cf myinvention, its pi cipels, and inode ci oper, Iction, what I ein* f as myinvention, and d einel oy the use ci' compressed ar,`artiicinlly driedand cocied, nitric4 ecid,'sulphuric acid,

and glycerine, substantially :is described.

GEOq M. MOWBRAY.

. Witnesses: j Y

WM. El. ToWNsENn, AUSTIN BOND.

